Monday, December 30, 2013

With days that are filled with an abundance of obligations and hurried
moments, you may find yourself longing to sit, relax and temporarily
lose yourself in a world that is different from your own. One of the
best ways to escape to a new destination is with a good book. When
Christian material is what you are seeking, you can eliminate the
extensive search through books that you would find inappropriate, by
concentrating your search for reading material at a site such as
Favorite Christian Books. You can click here and find enjoyable fiction
books that are appropriate for a variety of age groups. While you're
browsing around for books for your own leisurely reading experience, you
may find titles that you know a friend, your spouse, or your kids would
like. Books make a great gift for any occasion.

In addition to having a selection of Christian fiction on your bookshelf
at home, you can add some educational books such as Bible commentaries
and a variety of books that help you deal with some of life's difficult
issues and circumstances. You can find comfort and solutions to problems
in books written by Christian authors who have been in a situation
similar to yours.

Setting aside time to get lost in a good book or to expand your
knowledge of the Bible can relieve stress and provide encouragement in
trying times. Everyone needs some quiet time each day for rest and
relaxation and books are ideal companions for those moments.

Blurb:
All Grayson Mitchell, a wolf shifter, wants to do is raise his nieces in peace and maybe get a full night’s sleep while he’s at it. But between his job as an emergency room nurse and the demands of the three little girls, sleep seems far off. He needs someone who can help him out with the girls, and a nanny seems like the ideal solution.

Shannon Cho is a tiger shifter who was banished from his pride for being too powerful. But he doesn’t want to lead. He wants to devote his life to children. Answering an ad for a nanny is the opportunity he’s been waiting for.

But what happens when the two men cross the line between employer and employee? Will love flourish? Or will the secret that’s been kept from the Smooth Rock Falls pack tear everything apart?

The
Fourth of July is over, but for these summer lovers the fireworks
have just begun.

An
unexpected inheritance brings business consultant Christopher Gordon
from Los Angeles to quaint Falk’s Bend. He’s carved a week from
his demanding schedule to list his great-grandparents’ house for
sale and explore his roots. However, disturbing family secrets and
the sweet temptation of writer Margie Olsson derail his plans,
challenging him to seize the elusive dream missing from his hectic
life— love.

A
recent brush with death shook Margie’s life, but not her dreams and
she’s ready to move forward. Only, standing up to her loving,
over-protective family isn’t easy. Helping Christopher explore the
derelict mansion and unravel his grandmother’s mysterious past
should be a harmless fun taste of independence. But when her
experimental summer fling ignites into unexpected love, how can her
small town dreams work with his big city life?

Authors
Bio:

Babette
James writes sweetly scorching contemporary romance and loves reading
nail-biting tales with a satisfying happily ever after. When not
dreaming up stories, she enjoys playing with new bread recipes and
dabbling with paints. Babette is a member of New Jersey Romance
Writers, where she has served on the Board. She is also a Pro member
of Romance Writers of America, and the Celtic Hearts, and
Contemporary Romance Chapters of RWA, and Liberty States Fiction
Writers. As a teacher, she loves encouraging new readers and writers
as they discover their growing abilities. Her class cheers when it’s
time for their spelling test! Born in New Jersey and raised in
Southern California, she’s had a life-long love of the desert and
going down the shore. Babette now lives in New Jersey with her
wonderfully patient husband and extremely spoiled cats.

Beautiful,
isn’t it? I fell so in love with this place when I was little and
dreamed I’d live in a house like this someday.” Margie laughed.
“Of course, in my dreams it was a bit less rundown.”

“I’d
imagine so. Interested in buying?”

“Oh,
if only I could, I would in an instant. I’m sure the property alone
is worth far more than I can afford. It’s a huge piece of land.
And the repairs and restoration...” Longing swelled. She sighed.
Someone else would buy and live in her dream home.

Quiet
fell between them for a while. Bees buzzed in the clover. Birds sang,
chirped, and flitted. A hummingbird whizzed past. Two more ducks
joined the first amid quiet bickering quacks. Dandelion fluff drifted
by on an unfelt breeze.

A
truck rattled down the lane, breaking the moment.

“Suppose
we ought to head back...” Christopher turned, so close their arms
brushed, but instead of retreating, he hesitated. Their eyes locked.
Where dismay and frustration had filled his green eyes, want
simmered. The heavy air electrified.

You
need a change.

On
a surge of bewildering crazy courage, she stretched up and kissed
him. The brief brush of lips to lips left her shaken and her heart
pounding, like she had just come up for air.

His
eyes widened in his serious, craggy face.

No,
oh, no. Blowing out an unsteady breath, she pressed a hand to her
stomach. She’d carried her day’s adventure one impetuous step too
far. Her heroines were the daring part of her. She’d never even
kissed on a first date before, and this wasn’t even a date.

Before
the apology fluttering in her mind could break free, he cupped her
cheek and touched his mouth down on hers.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Maria over at A Night's Dream of Books and Vonnie over at Vonnie's Reading Corner (two new blogs to me! HEEEY!) Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013! I have today off (26th) and the rest of the weekend is gonna be kind of light on the work parts. WOOT! So what better way to spend my time, than to read!? Screw cleaning and stuff...I'm nerding out! (okay I will HAVE to clean sometime but that will be kept to a minimum!)

For this read-a-thon, I'm hoping to finish at least 2 books!

I'm starting with Dead Plains book 3 in the Zombie West series by Angela Scott! I LURVE this series!

Monday, December 23, 2013

This meme is hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey! I haven't done one of these is friggen forever, but I thought it would be fun! Plus a little motivation to get me back in the habit of reading FOR FUN :)

So last week was a mess. Not much in the way of reading anything so this week, even with the holidays coming up I hope to read at least 1 book.

For my Classics Blog (here) I'm hoping to finish up Lord of the Flies and write out my thoughts.

For this blog:

This giant brick of a book that my husband claims is awesomeballs!

I think since this has like an elevenitybillionity pages, this will be a good one to just focus on. :)

Saturday, December 21, 2013

“From
the moment I locked eyes with hers, we've had this undeniable
connection that was and will always be wicked. A love that would
literally kill me if it didn't survive, but lately, could kill me if it
did.” ~Drake Evans.For
Drake and Presley, life has handed them more challenges than any one
person should ever face in a lifetime. Together, they've survived
Presley’s captivity from her deranged uncle, but now they must learn how
to live with the events that surrounded her time spent with him, while
keeping the details of her rescue a secret. For
Presley Quinn, living the last two years has been practically
unbearable, constantly drowning in nightmares put there by a man
responsible for the violent imagines continually playing in her mind.
She keeps moving forward, but is barely clinging onto the edge when
she’s faced with another obstacle from her past that is so unavoidable,
so tragic, it threatens to break her apart—herself.Drake
will do anything to protect Presley from ever feeling pain again. His
love is irrefutable. He walks side by side with her, vowing he will
never let anyone harm her again. However, when an unexpected event turns
Presley against everyone she’s ever loved, Drake is faced with trying
to save the only woman he’s ever loved or severing the only lifeline
she’s ever had—himself.**Mature Content Warning** 17 years and older for language and sexual content.**

Excerpt:

“Don’t!
Don’t you dare act like you know nothing about this.” I begin to
walk toward Delilah and at any moment I can feel my body start to
really lose it. Her eyes are drenched and she's starting to
tremble as she quickly picks up on how angry I am. The sickest
feeling is growing in my gut as my mind's telling me where Presley
could be, but my heart doesn't want to believe it. Closing
the gap between us, I grab a hold of Delilah’s arms and lightly
shake her. I know she knows, but I need to hear it from her. “Where
is she?” I scream in her face.

~Drake Evans, Tragic Love

M.S. Brannon

M.S.
Brannon was born and raised in the Midwest. She still resides there
today with her wonderful husband and son. When she is not writing or
reading, M.S. Brannon spends time with her family, watching movies, and
discovering new music. She writes romance because she believes love and
heartache is the rawest emotion one can experience.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Blurb:Driven,
business savvy Hailey Burton, Vice President of Tryton Financial
Institute, has been put in charge of running what could be her first
ever failure: the company’s Christmas Eve toy drive. Toys and
Christmas are beyond Hailey’s expertise, but when she's offered the
chance for the promotion she's been waiting for if she succeeds, her
competitive spirit kicks into high gear. When every company in Los
Angeles turns her down, desperation leads her to Quinn Matheson. Ten
years ago, Hailey chose a prosperous career over Quinn, but as she
falls for him all over again, she can’t deny that they make a good
team in business…and more. This second time around, is she finally
ready to make the leap and become his partner in love?

I've
been writing for as long as I can remember...I still have my first
"book" - scribbled in pencil in a 1-subject notebook in
sixth grade. When my mom taught me how to type (on an electric
typewriter!) there was no going back. I'm crazy about stories in
every form - movies, novels, poems, songs, etc. and love making up my
own.
I
live in the Washington, D.C. area and when I'm not writing I like
exploring the sites, going for long walks, and listening to every bit
of music I can get my ears on. But most of all I love writing
stories...my goal is to make a reader's day a little lighter and
brighter!Author's
website address: www.madisonmartinbooks.com

Excerpt:She couldn’t wait any longer. She unzipped his pants and pulled them down with such force that she almost knocked both of them to the floor. He pulled her down along with him until they landed together in a heap on the carpet.He gave out a deep laugh. Years and years of seamless business deals, and somehow she was managing to screw this up. Always with the personal stuff, she was there to make a mess of it. “You’re laughing at my ravaging you?” she asked sheepishly, feeling her cheeks burning. “I know, I know…being with me is kind of like being in a French farce, right?” “I’m not complaining.” Still seeming to be enjoying himself, he drew her up beside him on the carpet and kissed her. “You gotta admit that was kind of funny. It’s okay to laugh at yourself sometimes.”Instead of taking offense, she lightened up. “Help me, then.”Together they managed to get his pants all the way off.Pushing him flat onto his back, she settled herself on top and pressed her hands against the delineated muscles of his chest. He was all hers. She raised up onto her knees, and a little jab of pain made her wince. With a harsh breath, he leaned up, a worried look on his face. “Your knee…”“No, it’s all right.” She adjusted her astride position, settling comfortably. “There. That’s better.”

“No, this won’t work. We’ll hurt it.”

“It’s fine,” she insisted.

Unconvinced, he leaned up and grasped her thigh with one hand. “That scab still looks bad.”

“It’s all right. I promise.”

He leaned back, giving in. With a gruff sigh, he said through gritted teeth, “I should have known you’d want to be on top.”

She grinned, shifting her silky underwear along the hard length covered by his boxers. “You used to like it.”

He gritted his teeth and grasped her hips. “Sure. Use and abuse me,” he croaked out.

She examined the look on his face and bit her lower lip. Was she really torturing him? “You don’t sound too happy about it.”

“I’m not going to be able to handle much of your teasing tonight.”

All right, so she admitted she liked teasing him. He was too fun to tease, only because he took it so well. “Are you mad about—?”

In a split second, he had her flat on her back. She laughed as Quinn moved on top of her, pressing his body against hers.

“How about we do it like this?” he asked with a triumphant smile, his dark eyes exploring her face.

By the author of the bestselling Escape to New Zealand series--When you wish upon a star . . .

Alec
Kincaid has never met the obstacle he couldn’t overcome—or the woman
who could resist him. And it’s not going to happen now, not with his
star shining more brightly than ever in the high-stakes arena of San
Francisco’s software industry.

Desiree
Harlin doesn’t believe in fairy tales, and she doesn’t waste time
wishing. She’s learned the hard way that dreams don’t come true. And
with her reputation and hard-won security on the line, succumbing to
temptation isn’t an option.

But things aren’t always what they seem. And even stars sometimes fall.

Rosalind James

Author Bio:

Rosalind James is the author of the
Kindle-bestselling "Escape to New Zealand" series (currently five titles
strong), as well as the new U.S.-based "Kincaids" series. Her first
book,"Just This Once," has sold tens of thousands of copies in the year
since it was published, eventually reaching #85 in the Amazon store. A
marketing professional and publishing industry veteran, Rosalind has
lived all over the United States and in a number of other countries,
traveling with her civil engineer husband. Most recently, she spent
several years in Australia and New Zealand, where she fell in love with
the people, the landscape, and the culture of both countries. She loves
trying new things in her writing, most recently the mystery and suspense
in "Nothing Personal."

Rosalind credits her rapid success to the fact that “lots of people would like to escape to New Zealand! I know I did!”

She’d spooned up every bit of the rich broth, the chunks of beef and vegetables, had dipped a second and then a third piece of bread in olive oil. Alec had watched it all without comment, while dispatching his own dinner with an alacrity that confirmed to Desiree that he really hadn’t had dinner yet tonight.

And when they’d finished, he’d insisted, together with Giuseppe—of course the waiter’s name was Giuseppe, because this wasn’t romantic enough, the white tablecloth and the single red rose and the candle and the worn brick against her shoulder—he’d insisted that she order cannoli for dessert.

“Just one,” he coaxed. “If you don’t want it, you don’t have to eat a single bite. But I think you need to taste whipped cream tonight.”

“Don’t you think she needs some whipped cream?” he demanded of the waiter, who smiled back at him, sensing, Desiree thought through a satisfied haze of red wine, succulent beef, and way too much potent testosterone, a truly magnificent tip.

“Definitely, the signorina needs whipped cream,” Giuseppe agreed. “And we have the best.”

She wasn’t sure how you had better whipped cream than anyone else, but when the dessert arrived, she had to concede that this was the best.

Amaretto, one still-sane corner of her practical brain suggested, but that sensible voice was drowned out, oh so rapidly, by the sensation on her tongue, the silky smoothness of cream, the almond sweetness of the liqueur, the delicate drift of pastry and the deep dark pleasure of chocolate. And Alec, watching her as she allowed the rich concoction to drift between her lips, over her tongue, down her throat. Watching her, enjoying the sight of her enjoying herself, as if it were his tongue. His throat.

By the time he’d slapped a hand against the door of the cab that had again been waiting when they’d stepped out of the restaurant’s front door, leaped back onto the sidewalk and raised that same hand in farewell, she’d been so lost in fatigue, wine, and lust that she could only sit back against the scarred leather and thank heaven that she hadn’t actually kissed him. Or begged him.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Psychic twins with special talents meet two thieves, two Taniwha, and
one pretty reporter as they experience the adventure of a lifetime…

On
a prospecting holiday, brothers Jason and Levi discover an ancient
supernatural creature, a Taniwha named Otanewainuku, who gives them
‘humming stones’ in exchange for their silence about its
treasure. They also cross paths with two thieves. Their
supernatural abilities to find hidden gems and precious metals help
them find the stolen goods and turn them in to the police—twice.
But when they meet reporter Abby Hennessy, her story on their good
deed attracts the wrong kind of attention.

When
the thieves capture Jason to use his talents, Levi has to rely on
their psychic link to guide the police while not revealing their
powers. Abby wants to help, and she and Levi search for the thieves,
not knowing that Jason is going to use the ‘humming stones’ to
call on another Taniwha for help…

Author
Bio:

A
taste of Gold is Deryn Pittar’s first Young Adult novella. She
loved creating the characters in this story, especially the Taniwha
(pronounced tanny-far) from Maori mythology. This story has inspired
her to write more stories for teenagers in the future.

Deryn,
writing as Virginnia De Parte, also pens futuristic fiction, spiced
with romance and adventure. She has four novellas published as
e-books. Setting her stories in the future allows her imagination to
run free, creating characters with unheard-of talents. She also has
the pleasure of watching science and technology catch up with her
imagination.

She
is a published poet. She lives in the aptly named Bay of Plenty, New
Zealand; along with four million people and a number of hobbits.

Jess Grimm has the ability to travel to any dimension in the multiverse. There’s only one problem… it’s killing her. Jess is in a race against time to find a device that can slow the
progression of the power inside her, but she isn’t alone. Others want
her power, and they don’t care how they get it, or if she is dead or
alive when they do. The only person willing to help her is the mysterious Ronan Sparrow a
member of the League of Skull & Bones, one of the very groups that
want her power. But what does Ronan want in return? Can Jess trust him
or will she find herself alone with enemies on all sides? The League of Skull & Bones, Book 1 of The Grimm Chronicles

My Review:My review for this will be short and sweet! So here goes!
I love strong female characters, so this was definitely a book for me! Jess is such a great character! Strong, able, and capable of kicking major butt! I loved it! This book kept my attention from start to finish! The writing was strong and flowed quite smoothly! The plot was strong and intriguing! A great read! Loved it!

M.J. Fletcher

MJ Fletcher was
born in New Jersey and now lives by the beach with his beautiful wife
and daughter. He has been writing since he first stapled pages together
as a child and called them a book. He finally realized his ambitions
when his comic book series Adam Zero The
Last Man of Earth was published by Ronin Studios. His other comic book
work includes Digital Webbing Presents and The Hero Initiative. His
first novel The Doorknob Society released in 2012 was nominated for a
Cybil award in the young adult category. He has continued writing the
Doorknob Society Saga his rollicking steampunk adventure series as well
as working on numerous other writing projects.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

In 1747 Pennsylvania, a trading post on the American frontier was an
unsettling place, allowing little opportunity for a woman’s happiness.
This is truest perhaps for seventeen-year-old Katie O’Toole, the
thirteenth child of an unhappy Irish immigrant family. Yet, Katie
dreams of a different life, unaware that someone far away was dreaming
of her. Evocative of Geraldine Brook’s Caleb’s Crossing, K.B. Laugheed’s extraordinary debut novel, The Spirit Keeper (Plume
Original / October 2013 / $16.00) is Katie’s engrossing first-person
account, as she leaves behind her painful past in order to accept a new
identity and the great love that comes with it.

When savages raid the O’Toole home, Katie is taken captive by two
strange Indians who claim they have been searching for her. Protected
by his companion Hector, Syawa is a gifted holyman who can see the
future through dreams. Syawa claims he has seen Katie in his vision: a
Creature of Fire and Ice who will bring a great gift to his people.
Despite her flaming red hair and ice-blue eyes, Katie looks upon him
incredulously, but faced with the alternative of returning to her
abusive family, she agrees to join them. Soon, their travel westward
takes an irreversible turn. Katie discovers that to fulfill Syawa’s
vision, she must become his Spirit Keeper, embarking on an epic journey
that will change her life—and heart—forever.The Spirit Keeper captures the soul of a young woman on a quest to discover herself during a remarkable adventure across the New World.

My Review:

This book started out kind of slow for me. The lack of a common language between Katie and Syawa and Hector kind of made things slow going. Once it starts to get going and Katie learns how to communicate, it picks up nicely! It was pretty interesting to get a good idea about where Katie came from. Her family was detestable! I was not at all sad to see them go! I loved the wild emotional ride this book took me on! Make sure to section off at least an afternoon to devote to this book! It's such a great story!

I really loved this book!

About K. B. Laugheed

K.B. Laugheed is an organic gardener and master naturalist who
has spent a lifetime feeding the earth. Her efforts have culminated in
The Spirit Keeper, her first novel and largest contribution to the
potluck so far.

For more info on K. B. Laugheed and her work, visit her website, kblaugheed.com.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

What would you do? What rules would you break to be with your soul
mate? This morning Hadley Christensen and Dominic Morris woke up living
their dream lives. They are engaged and each has promising careers in
the medical field. They are happier and more fulfilled than they have
ever been, and they are ready to begin their happily ever after.Sadly, on her way to work, Hadley is in an accident. Before taking
her last breath, she realizes she is already dead - and everyone on
Earth is too. Now Hadley and Dominic must each find a way to live
without one another. How do they continue when they are two parts of one
flame?Hadley is given permission by the Masters to contact Dominic in the
hopes he will also realize he is already dead. If Dominic can open his
mind to hear Hadley they can be together forever. Is Dominic ready to
give up life the way he knows it?

My Review

I am really not a big sucker for books like this, but this one had an interesting cover (i know I know I shouldn't judge) and a great blurb! I am so glad those two combined to grab my attention! I would have missed out on this amazingly written, emotion packed, gut wrenching, and wonderful book! It takes a lot for me to get misty eyed in the open, but I swear to you guys I got a bit weepy when reading this.

This was so good and really thought provoking in many ways. I liked Mindy Larson's writing style. Nothing was heavy handed, and nothing was preachy. Anything dealing with the afterlife kind of makes me squeamish, but this was done in a great way. I really liked it and am glad I got a chance to be a part of this tour!

Mindy Larson

Mindy
Larsen has always had a vivid imagination that has only improved with
her love of reading and writing. She spent much of her childhood
entertaining her three younger brothers with her stories and today she
is bringing her imagination to life in books.

When
not writing, Mindy enjoys spending time with the love of her life and
four children while playing disc golf, cooking, baking, traveling and
exploring.

During
the months of November & December - 1% of the gross sales of all
novels with Lavish Publishing, LLC will be donated to the Lupus
Foundation of America. The donation will be made in May 2014 in honor
of AA Pencil and National Lupus Awareness Month.